“Intel’s Reader for the visually impaired isn’t a concept; it goes on sale today. Using an Atom processor, 5-megapixel camera, and Intel’s Linux-based Moblin OS, it turns book pages into digital text and MP3s…then reads aloud in a synthesized voice.”

“Bada, due to launch next month, is claimed to be particularly simple for developers to use, especially in the area of applications using Web services. The first bada-powered phones should appear in the first half of next year, along with apps from the company’s Application Store.”

“this will allow you to read the locked-down Kindle format on your Windows weapon of choice, though Mac users are left with merely the “coming soon” message”

“The new Moxi HD DVR with three tuners will sell for $799 and it will come bundled with a Moxi Mate, an accessory device that lets you watch different recorded content in another room of the house. You can get a three-tuner Moxi HD DVR bundled with two Moxi Mates for $999.”

“Containing an RFID chip, a microprocessor and chip for wireless networking, the plugs will be able to drill down into how much energy individual appliances (plugged into the outlets in question) are using. Users will also be able to remotely control their devices via the TalkingPlugs because they are programmable.”

“People Power will draw data from all home appliances and power-sucks into a central online portal where users will be able to view how much energy they are using, where, and how much it is costing them. It has also mentioned that it will be churning out various sensory devices that can be attached to appliances to monitor their energy use.”

“chips like the ZMS-08 will definitely bring higher performance to lower power devices”

” it incorporates a “presence sensor” that can automatically turn the picture off when it detects nobody’s watching.”

“In a bid to sell living room electronics and spur buzz for “Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs,” Sony Corp. is offering the movie for free to U.S. buyers of its Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players starting Monday.”

“Dubbed FoxPop, it makes its debut with the Dec. 1 Blu-ray and DVD release of “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.” With a free downloadable computer application for Mac, PC or iPhone, users get a constant barrage of facts, photos, games and trivia questions related to the movie they are watching. Importantly, because the content is delivered to a separate screen, users are free to ignore it if they choose. So when a T. rex appears on the screen, for example, the user’s iPhone would vibrate and ask how many bones that particular dino has. It will also tell what percentage answered the query correctly.”

“BlackBerry Payment Service has been announced for mid-2010 availability, bringing in-app payments, subscription support, and a variety of billing options, which all sounds far more robust than the PayPal-only setup they’ve got going today.”

“Over the next five years, 802.15.4 chipset shipments will underpin a host of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) across home, building and industrial building automation, as well as Advanced Meter Infrastructures. This will help fuel the growth of the 802.15.4 chipset WSNs market from just over $10 million in 2008 to nearly $155 million in 2014, a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 87.9% over the period.”

“This video from CrunchGear shows that the operating system is all about simplicity. From the cloud-based storage and OS updates, to the “Web Card” home screen tiles used to represent Websites. On that screen, there’s no menus, no folders, no resizable windows—just Websites and a search box at the top.”

“TalkingPlug is a plug that fits on top of existing electrical outlets. But it’s equipped with componentry to make it a controllable node on a network, including an RFID chip, microprocessor, and wireless networking. The company plans to introduce the product next week.”

“Jailbreakers in Australia are being infected by a worm that changes their wallpaper to an image of Rick Astley.”

“They’ve managed to cram 64MB of memory, Bluetooth, a tiny OLED screen and a lithium ion battery”

“Mistry is the creator of SixthSense, a wearable gesture interface that uses a camera and tiny projector to display data and information onto surfaces, walls, and even your hand. Special fingertip sensors let users manipulate the data and use their hands to interact with it. During a presentation at the TEDIndia conference this week, the PhD student announced plans to release SixthSense under an open source license in the coming months.”

“The Swiss company says it will use the funds for a fast and dramatic deployment of smart meters, and not just in the U.S. — it will look at rolling out its hardware in Asia, Australia and Europe as well. Smart metering in the European Union is actually far ahead of U.S. initiatives, due in part to an aggressive mandate that 80 percent of homes must be equipped with smart meters by 2020 and 100 percent by 2022.”

“MobileMe compatibility means you can access photos stored on the online service directly from the printer, using the touchscreen.”

“NXP Semiconductors, a chip maker that spun out of Philips in 2006, showed off prototypes for these cool applications at its headquarters in San Jose, Calif., yesterday. Based on the working products and prototypes there, it’s clear we’re headed for a wonderful world of wireless sensors.”

“Maarten Lens-Fitzgerald, co-founder of Augmented Reality browser company Layar, was interviewed by CNN today and took the opportunity to claim that AR on phones is going to be so big in the future that only voice will be more popular.”

“one of the ideas Dell toyed around with was a full-fledged touchscreen trackpad, which was apparently rejected because Dell couldn’t justify the cost of the panel based how much people would actually use it. Another, possibly even more ambitious concept is one that would have completely replaced the traditional keyboard with a series of capacitive-touch buttons”

“A new Apple patent application published this week suggests the company is working on a system of simplified data transfer between devices such as the iPhone, iPod touch, Mac computers, and Apple TV. The application covers a variety of transfer methods, including local Wi-Fi, cellular, and near-field networks, and also mentions the use of online data storage services that could serve as an intermediary between devices.”

“By connecting at-home medicine dispensing to their network, AT&T will facilitate the monitoring of health services by family and doctors. Not only can you control the dosages and when they are made available, but you will be able to monitor whether the proper dosage was taken.”

“About 25 percent of consumers plan on buying a new TV within the next six months, according to the NPD Group.”

“As part of the deal, associates at the mobile retail unit of Best Buy will install “Google Mobile App” on all compatible smartphones through the “Walk Out Working” program, which is a free in-store smartphone setup.”

“Sometime next year, Garmin’s Nuvi GPS devices will gain the ability to communicate with your car through ESP. In this case, we’re not talking about psychic extra-sensory perception, but the EcoRoutes ESP module for Nuvi navigation devices. The ESP module is a small hideaway box that communicates with Nuvi units via Bluetooth. The ESP module is a hideaway box that connects to (and is powered by) your vehicle’s OBD-II diagnostics port. The device gathers information about your vehicle’s performance and relays that info via a Bluetooth data connection to your Garmin Nuvi GPS device atop your dashboard.”

“An HTC-made 3G smartphone due in the U.S. early next year will incorporate an embedded Wi-Fi router, enabling multiple laptop users to share a cellular-data connection to the Internet when they’re on the go.”

“Though Nokia is still the leading vendor for dual-mode smartphones (Wi-Fi and cellular), its market share dropped to 35 percent in the second quarter, compared with 50 percent in the same period a year ago, according to a report released Monday from In-Stat.”

“The Chinese company Delstar has announced a seven-inch netbook that runs Windows CE on an ARM processor. The DS 700 will be sold for $120 by KMart in the retailer’s post-Thanksgiving “Black Friday” sale, according to various reports.”

“promising transfer rates of up to 320MB/sec when relying on a separate UAS Protocol driver with a USB 3.0 port. If you’re using a stock USB 3.0 socket, you’ll see speeds as high as 200MB/sec”

“The images detail the Courier’s unique user interface, which draws on everything from multitouch gestures to pen-based handwriting recognition. The heart of the interface appears to be the Smart Agenda, pictured above, which pulls together all your disparate content like calendar entries, emails, and to-dos into one unified starting place, described as “Cliff Notes” to the Pagestream “novel.” The journal itself appears to be searchable by all kinds of data, including time, location, and tags, and it’s all accessed by a special multi-button pen.”

“Best Buy anticipates 18.6 million Blu-ray players (including PlayStation 3 videogame consoles and Blu-ray set-top players) to sell in 2010. That marks a significant hike from the 10 million units of Blu-ray hardware expected to sell this year. Many of these players include Internet video capability, further extending their appeal.”

“According to the latest market data from ABI Research, almost 35 million netbooks will be shipped by manufacturers in 2009″

“Digeo, the Paul Allen-backed company which developed the Moxi digital video recording device, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing comes just over a month after Digeo sold off some of its assets to ARRIS Group in a deal valued at $20 million.”

“This accessory puts whatever is displayed on the phone’s screen on its larger, higher-resolution display, and allows users to enter text with a nearly full-size QWERTY keyboard. The Redfly was previously available only for Windows Mobile, but can now be used with several RIM devices”

“Internet radio can be embedded in A/V receivers, home-theater systems and tabletop radios. The latter market will grow from less than 500,000 units worldwide in 2008 to close to 5 million units by 2013,” according to a study released by Futuresource Consulting.

“In the next couple years, we see augmented reality crossing over from being a rather niche technology for military, medical, and heavy-industry-type applications to being a much more mainstream set of applications in the consumer market”

“The great news is, there’s a very good reason why so many are jumping on the “augmented” bandwagon: opportunity. The challenges outlined above will be met—not just by the amazingly talented people who’ve been toiling away for years to bring the industry to this point but also by those just venturing into the field.”

“Taking past behavior, peak energy demand and even outside weather into account, it automatically dials heating and air conditioning systems up or down, keeping end users comfortable while trimming their electricity bills”

“The LTE Connected Car concept illustrates that mobile devices are potentially no longer just phones or music players. The concept vehicle becomes a mobile platform where information can be easily accessed and transmitted through the use of high bandwidth connectivity and cloud-based applications.”

“the surface of the devices features a film with lenses on one side and prism structures on the other that display the corresponding left- and right-eye portions of the image. Currently available in both 9-inch and 2.8-inch LCD panels, the company is said to be gearing up for volume production”

“It seems like only yesterday that high-definition TV was the buzz-word; but it appears the industry is already looking toward the “next big thing”: ultra high-definition TV (UHD).”

“This ABI Research study finds the personal robotics market in 2009 will achieve a global value of $1.16 billion, and forecasts the market will more than quadruple by 2015, when worldwide shipments will be valued at $5.26 billion. The personal robotics market encompasses consumer robotic products that have some intelligence, interface with their environment through sensors, and perform a desired function. This function may be to perform a task, to act as a security system, to entertain people, or to be used as an educational tool.”

“Brian Litt, associate professor of neurology and bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, who is working with the silk-silicon group to develop medical applications for the new devices, says they could interact with tissues in new ways. The group is developing silk-silicon LEDs that might act as photonic tattoos that can show blood-sugar readings, as well as arrays of conformable electrodes that might interface with the nervous system.”

“The agreement will allow customers to “buy or rent” from CinemaNow’s library of content on “connected consumer electronics” sold through Best Buy retail stores or BestBuy.com. New titles will “often” (note the qualification) be made available day and date of the DVD release. The service will also leverage digital copies to bridge the physical and digital stream worlds.”

“FXI has been able to put everything you need to play a game on a chip using Atmel’s 90-nanometer SiliconCity Flexible design tools. Atmel designed its memory chips so that virtually anything could be built on top of them. The FXI design integrates a 3-D graphics component, an ARM9 processor, and other components that can be fused into Atmel’s flash memory chip. The companies say the net result is great game performance on a mobile phone that otherwise would be a poor game device.”

“According to Athenros, this tiny new chip, currently the smallest WLAN chip on the market, measuring just a 5mm by 5mm, combines both the energy efficiency of Atheros’ ROCm technology and the faster 802.11n WLAN performance. As a result, it offers up to 85Mbps of actual throughput speed in the 5GHz band and 48Mbps in the 2.4Ghz band.” ! – Mehmet

“Marvell Technology Group and E Ink are partnering on a “turnkey” tech solution based on one integrated chip called the Marvell Armada 166E, with the first devices due in 2010. The chip is designed to render high-res PDFs “ultra fast,” save power, extend battery life and support ePaper in thin formats. For access, it includes 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Through an agreement with FirstPaper, the companies say the Armada also should be able to handle a variety of screen sizes, including larger formats that can handle magazine and newspaper-like layouts and graphics.”